Topic: oh suzi q, why won't ya be true...

[seanbarney41]

Ohhhh me slabbie
DSCN1212 by Sean Barney, on Flickr
your body parts are so unobtainable and expensive but the ultimate in race replication,  I must have you even if I am slightly too fat and old and decrepit to sit upon you comfortably for any extensive length of time...

and will ever run correctly with the mandatory pods and open exhaust?
DSCN1224 by Sean Barney, on Flickr
DSCN1222 by Sean Barney, on Flickr
KIMG0188 by Sean Barney, on Flickr

[seanbarney41]

after much trial and error and testing in the snow...it seems every time this thing fires up, Michigan weather goes straight to hell...yes you will run!  So, this little beauty came out in 1986 with approx. 100hp for its 400 lbs., plenty to over-extend the limits of my shops local test route...
KIMG0194 by Sean Barney, on Flickr
yes, that is snow on the seat.  100hp, 400lbs and snow is an "exhilirating" combination
KIMG0196 by Sean Barney, on Flickr

[seanbarney41]

So then, a co-worker, who well knows my tastes in motorcycles, offers me up this...
KIMG0202 by Sean Barney, on Flickr

...and its sold!
KIMG0201 by Sean Barney, on Flickr
needs tires and fork seals but otherwise perfect.  Who likes to just blast away from any situation with gobs of low end torque and high end revs switch on when it really gets heated?...well, that would be me

[seanbarney41]

mmmm
KIMG0203 by Sean Barney, on Flickr always wanted a Supertrapp and it does not disappoint

KIMG0204 by Sean Barney, on Flickr s stands for sexy ass

KIMG0205 by Sean Barney, on Flickr  I think that is enough instrumentation...gas gauge AND oil temperature?  It all works perfectly thank god, and I hope to never have to mess with the wiring too much

KIMG0206 by Sean Barney, on Flickr

KIMG0207 by Sean Barney, on Flickr

[seanbarney41]

so...why was it that we keep messing with these crap ass old Honda's?



Just kidding!...I will never be without a cb750 for the rest of my life.  But man oh man, these Suzi's are exquisitally built and just delicious to ride.  I will continue to share my experiences with them in this thread.

[nvr2old]

It took me 40 years to buy something other than a Honda.  Until, I found a '79 GS1000S.  I came away with a whole new appreciation of something..other then..a Honda.  Don't get me wrong, I love all my Hondas, and always will..but as you mentioned..the Suzuki's are way cool.  I love the torque and they really haul ass when you whip 'em.  Handling is very good, and they're just plain fun to ride.

IMGP0054-001 by Larry Pearson, on Flickr

[seanbarney41]

dang, way to blow my junk out of the water with a true beauty...no really, thanks for posting it.  I want one of those too.  Are those cb900/1100f shocks on there?

[nvr2old]

Not my intention sean..haha..  I got this thing with only 16K on it about 7 years ago.  Went through it front to back.  Yeah, those are 1100F shocks, and the front fender, too.  They just seemed so right for the bike.  Just couldn't..not..have a bit of Honda on it.  Finding a real Yosh period-correct pipe sent it in this direction.  SO much fun to ride.

[seanbarney41]

Looks real fun!  You have that set up perfectly exactly how I would do mine with the rearsets, bars, etc.  Have you done anything to prevent the dreaded Suzuki stator/reg/rec burnup?

[nvr2old]

Not yet.  So far it still charges..OK..it could be better.  It's only a matter of time before I have to do an update on it.  Not looking forward to it.  But it's unavoidable from what everyone has told me.

[754]

Hmmmmm, my roommate had a 1000 Suzuki with bore kit and cams..
 When he ride my 836 he really liked the low end grunt., maybe he overcammed ?

[seanbarney41]

oh geez...here comes Frank with the tall tails again.     I do appreciate the respect you have for a go fast honda single stick.  That's why I will always have one in the stable, but really these are a whole new plateau.

[754]

 I rode the kitted 1000, it was gutless down low, had to wind it up to go, it had cam ends like the Cooley.
 I later rode  a 1150  with the TSCC, it was very strong , better in the middle..
But I have to ask you Sean, have you ever ridden a bike with Webers ? My 836 had  them, they will go on my 736 soon. They do make a remarkable difference...
 

[nvr2old]

I can trundle along at 25mph in 5th gear on my GS1000 and roll the throttle on with no hesitation, no bogging..just thrust.  It pulls from 2,500 rpm all the way to red line (with a nice burst between 6-9,000 rpm) in every gear smoothly and effortlessly.  Top speed just shy of 130 mph.  Not bad for an almost 40 year old engine that's never been opened up.  Keep the valves adjusted and the oil changed and they're bullet proof.

[seanbarney41]

Yup, and both of these are 4 valvers....no, Frank, would love to try some Weber's but finding a manifold I want to afford is difficult.  Both these Suzi's grunt well and then scream and roar, but I gotta wonder how much low end is missing with the airboxes.

[754]

The 1150 I rode belongs to a member on here, he only dragraced it.
 He also has a 1080, and a 836.. single cam
 When I let lighter guys on my 836, it would start to spin the tire, without dropping the clutch.
 
 I think by nature a single cam should be a torquey motor.  A 4 valve moves more more air as it revs higher, but I suspect at the expense of low end power.  That was an explanation I got from an engineer type, but maybe it's not accurate. At any rate though, I realized  that an SOHC could certainly make power inbthevrev range I usually rode in.
 After the first Suzuki fours came out, The Japan 4 were in a hp race,the higher the hp, the easier to sell bikes. So they all built 4 valve motors, and bikes worked a bit different.
 The 1150 certainly was a powerful bike. It's just not what I need given the local laws, my riding habits, nor  do I want to look at one all the time.

[seanbarney41]

I hear ya Frank...these Suzuki's are certainly capable of netting some hefty speeding tickets all too easily, and I know you are no fan of post 1970's style bikes and race replica's.  Hell, I am surprised you even like the looks of an early 750k...

[754]

I grew up with the 750K lusting after one, finally getting my first at age 19 or so. Had one or more ever since.
 I jour B.C. vintage club, those Suzukis are quite popular, and get ridden a lot, more than the KZ,s.
 And there is i think 3 Wes Cooleys, one won at the Quail i think last year, hecrode it down there.
 And awes Cooley was at our big vintage show/swap last year..

[seanbarney41]

4 valves just makes for a wider flatter power band, because it is more capable of xcellent low rpm port velocity and big cfms at high velocity

anyway, got some new skins mounted on the 1100 before the weekend and finally got to put some miles on...found a cool old bridge
KIMG0236 by Sean Barney, on Flickr
KIMG0235 by Sean Barney, on Flickr
KIMG0234 by Sean Barney, on FlickrKIMG0233 by Sean Barney, on Flickr
I got Continental TKV's, a cool period look and very happy with the performance so far.

[ekpent]

 Hmmm -Pratt bridge,that sounds familiar     

[scottly]

A 4 valve moves more more air as it revs higher, but I suspect at the expense of low end power.  That was an explanation I got from an engineer type, but maybe it's not accurate.

I read an article in a car magazine years ago about after-market  4 valve heads for a small block Chevy, and the testing showed a loss at lower RPMs, and a gain at higher RPMs, compared with 2 valve heads. IIRC, it had to do with the way the air-fuel mixture entered the cylinder; the 2 valve had better swirl?   

[seanbarney41]

That's interesting...but these have excellent low end torque.  Really.  Much more than any cb, more than my dohc kz650,....lots...more than enough

[754]

IIRC , when the CB 750  came out, I think they would talk about it being able to go down to 15 mph in 5th gear.
 Likely would not work with pods..
 I think this is a likely scenario, everyone went to DOHC for the Horsepower, then they could ways to win back the low end  power. TSCC may be one of the ways..

[seanbarney41]

I guess my perspective is a little different.  When I was young and first got my drivers license, I was not into bikes.  Muscle car era machinery was still pretty cheap.  Not necessarily the really primo Camaros, Mustangs, 'Cudas etc, but you grab yourself a full size two door rear wheel drive v8 anything for under $1000.  These big heavy cars, with automatic transmissions always required certain compromises to maintain some semblance of low end torque when building the engines.  I always found this frustrating.  When I got into bikes, (really only because gas had become so expensive I literally could not afford to drive my cars anymore) I found it extremely refreshing that they really didn't have or need stump pulling torque numbers.  Just rev it up, drop the clutch, and keep that tach in the happy zone! 
    I never thought of the cb750 as having low end torque.  Out of the dozen or so cb750's I have owned not a single one has had the original 4 into 4 exhaust set up.  Ekpent claims these really add some low end.  I don't know.  I can't recall even riding one of Ekpent's original bikes.  And really, the difference would have to be HUGE for it to even compare to the grunt even the GSXR 750 has, and of course, the 1100's is even more mental.  But really, comparisons are just not relevant.  These are of another era.